“Behold, a ladder was set on the earth.” What is a ladder? It is a degree on which all other degrees depend, meaning the Nukva [female], which is the rest of the degrees (The Zohar, p 29, and in the Sulam [Ladder commentary on The Zohar]).
“And behold, angels of God ascending and descending on it.” These are the appointees of all the nations ascending and descending on this ladder. When Israel sin, the ladder comes down and the appointees ascend. When Israel improve their ways, the ladder ascends and all the appointees descend (Item 53 in the Sulam).
We need to understand all this, and to understand what people say, that there is nothing straighter than a crooked ladder, and nothing more crooked than a ladder when it is straight. Malchut is called “the assembly of Israel” and includes all the souls. Hence, according to the practices of the lower ones, so the bestowal from above appears to them.
For this reason, when Israel engage in acts of bestowal, there is a decline to the nations of the world, whose root is only reception of pleasure for themselves. But when Israel engage in reception, they give strength to the nations of the world, for the power of reception to control. When the power of reception governs, the power of Tzimtzum [restriction] governs and the abundance cannot be drawn from above.
It therefore follows that the ladder, which is Malchut, when the nations of the world ascend, Malchut descends, meaning that he cannot bestow upon the lower ones, and then there is concealment in the world.
But when Israel improve their practices through acts of bestowal, and the power of reception in order to receive declines, the ladder, which is Malchut, ascends in its importance, meaning it imparts upper abundance downward.
This is the meaning of what people say, “There is more crooked than a ladder when it is straight.” In spirituality, “straightness” is called a “line” that has above and below, where Malchut is below and Keter is above.
This is called “In the beginning, He created the world with the quality of judgment. He saw that the world could not exist and associated with it the quality of mercy,” which is regarded as a diagonal. It follows that when Malchut is associated with the quality of mercy, it is called “a ladder,” and “crooked means it stands diagonally. But when it is straight with the quality of judgment, the world cannot exist.
It is written about the verse, “He will command His angels over you, to keep you in all your ways,” “His angels” are the good inclination and the evil inclination. There, in Item 2, “Rabbi Yitzhak started, ‘It is written, ‘The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him and will deliver them.’ But elsewhere, it is written, ‘He will command His angels over you,’ meaning many angels. He explains, ‘The words, ‘He will command His angels over you’ are angels as usual. And the words, ‘An angel of the Lord’ means the Shechina [Divinity].’’”
We should understand why at one time he says “two angels,” and another time he says “one angel,” referring to the Shechina. That is, when does he have two angels and when does he have one angel?
We can interpret this as our sages said about the verse, “with all your heart,” meaning with both your inclinations, the good inclination and the evil inclination.
Accordingly, angels as usual means that every person has two angels, the good inclination and the evil inclination, which are two hearts. But after a person is rewarded with fear of the Creator, he becomes among those who fear the Creator. At that time, he is rewarded with one angel, when his two inclinations become one, and by this he comes to love the Creator with both his inclinations, for they are both united within him. This is considered that he has been rewarded with the instilling of the Shechina.